Rock River Land Purchase

The family that owns the gay beaches and the trails above them has offered to sell much of that land to the gay men who use it, an amazing opportunity for us to protect and preserve this historic sanctuary.

August 12: This has been a momentous week in the history of the gay gathering places at Rock River. First, the fundraising goal was achieved: $90,000 in donations and pledges toward the purchase of the land where gays have been gathering since the early 1970s. Then, the owner of the land, Dr. Robert Swartz, signed the completed purchase and sale agreement, the first legal step to transfer the ownership of the land from his family to Rock River Preservation Inc., the nonprofit gay men set up eleven years ago in the hopes this day might come!

Thank you, everyone, for making this possible - for those who came before us and are no longer here, for those who are still finding their way to Rock River and for those who will come along in years to come!

If you were planning to donate but hadn't gotten around to it yet, it would be great if you would still consider supporting Rock River Preservation because it will be facing increased financial demands once it owns the land. Primary among those will be new annual property taxes on 21 acres of prime real estate. RRP will work with a local forester in August and September to apply for conservation land tax status after the purchase becomes final in October. For the first tax year at least, RRP may have to pay the full tax rate on the property.